There is increasing buzz about the possibility of Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum returning from his Achilles injury before the end of the 2025-26 NBA regular season.
There has been no official announcement regarding this yet, but many believe that the former Duke Blue Devils star will be on the floor sooner than expected for the start.
And if it's going to happen, will it happen this Wednesday, when Boston takes on the visiting Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden in Beantown? Here's everything we know about Jayson Tatum's injury and his playing status against the Hornets.
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Jayson Tatum Injury Status vs. Hornets
Despite the discussion, Tatum will not debut against the Hornets in the 2025-26 season, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
"Jayson Tatum is out ahead of tomorrow night's Hornets-Celtics clash. Amid speculation that he could return on Wednesday, that won't be the case for the All-Star forward," Seagal shared via a social media post on Tuesday.
Tatum suffered an Achilles tendon injury during Game 4 of the Celtics' second-round NBA playoff series against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2025. He went under the knife the next day to repair the injury and was subsequently declared out for the rest of the playoffs and expected to be unavailable for the entire 2025–26 campaign.
However, reports have revealed that Tatum has begun participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages, leading to speculation that he is getting ready to see action this season. Additionally, he also practiced with Boston's G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics.
In any case, the Celtics are performing well even without Tatum. They enter the meeting with Charlotte with a 41-20 record, second in the Eastern Conference standings and a three-game winning streak following a 108-81 defeat of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The 28-year-old Tatum has played 585 games since being selected by the Celtics as the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, averaging 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from behind the arc.
So, when the question comes whether Tatum is playing against the Hornets, the answer is no.
celtics injury report
Jayson Tatum (Achilles): out
hornet injury report
Coby White (calf): Out vs. Mavericks (Tuesday)
